Overview Like most online store owners, you too might have spent countless hours designing and...
Overview
Imagine this - you are a business owner planning to venture into the digital domain with your first ever online store. You have worked hard at curating the perfect product list with amazing images and videos, creating a convincing brand story, and building a community. While the idea of starting or running an online business can sound exciting, what’s challenging is choosing the right Shopify plan for your business. Believe it or not, most e-commerce businesses often struggle with choosing the right Shopify plan, as this is something that could impact your business’s overall cost, growth, and functionality.
Being on the most preferred online platforms designed to help businesses expand in the online domain, Shopify offers a plethora of options designed to accommodate the needs of businesses of all sizes.
In this blog, we will help you compare Shopify plans and dissect each one based on its features, costs, and advantages. We will also help you gain insights into the ongoing industry trends and choose the right Shopify plan based on your business’s requirements, budget, and size. So let’s explore the different plans offered by Shopify for online store owners.
Understanding Different Shopify Plans
The online business landscape is an ever evolving space and in the past decade, Shopify has emerged as one of the top choices for businesses looking to expand online. This robust platform with advanced features offers a spectrum of plans, all of which are designed to meet the varying needs of businesses of different sizes. By comparing these numerous Shopify plans and features, you will gain the much needed insights for choosing the right Shopify plan for your business. So let’s compare Shopify plans on various metrics -
Shopify Starter Plan
Among the various advanced plans and features offered by Shopify to its users, this one is an entry-level plan perfect for businesses that are not looking for a full-fledged online store. So, suppose you are an Instagram store owner who sells through social media and messaging apps, this plan would be perfect for your small business.
This plan is available at an affordable price of only $5 per month, designed to efficiently support small sellers and businesses who are looking for a cost-effective way to sell their products online without investing in a full featured website.
In this plan, you can manage your transactions effectively and keep track of the inventory, making it perfect for testing the features of Shopify without investing a huge sum.
Shopify Basic Plan
Often considered the best Shopify plan for small businesses, this one ramps up the functionalities and allows businesses to create their first online store. The Shopify basic plan offers the right tools for businesses to create and manage a full featured online store, helping them establish their online presence in a cost-effective way.
This Shopify plan, which is priced at $29 per month offers basic reporting tools, two staff accounts, and the features to sell in a single country. This way, you can grow your business online in one country with a basic plan, and steadily expand your presence by upgrading Shopify plans.
(Regular) Shopify Plan
This plan, which is priced at $105 per month is designed to accommodate the needs of a growing business. It includes all the offerings of the basic Shopify plan along with added staff accounts and advanced reporting tools. So if your are someone looking to expand your e-commerce business, this plan would be perfect for you.
The Shopify Plan allows businesses to set up up to five staff accounts and add additional inventory locations. So this plan is perfect for expanding your business globally, supporting international sales and seamless global transactions.
Advanced Plan
If there are plans that support small and upcoming businesses efficiently, Shopify also has plans that perfectly match the needs of bigger enterprises with an annual revenue of more than $1 million. The Shopify advanced plan, which is priced at around $399 per month is a comprehensive plan that offers advanced analytics and international market capabilities to larger enterprises.
With this plan, you can easily customize your reports and get advanced e-commerce capabilities along with international pricing. Ideal for businesses looking to scale their operations quickly and efficiently, this solution from Shopify offers cutting edge features such as comprehensive reporting, minimal transaction fees, and better customizations that are otherwise unavailable.
Shopify Plus
This one here is ideal for large ecommerce businesses with complex website structures and high customer volumes. Available at a whopping $2000 per month, this plan comes with Shopify advanced features such as better automation tools, unlimited customizations, and seamless scalability options. This plan is usually chosen by e-commerce giants who require targeted customizations and scalability options.
With Shopify Plus, you don’t just pay for a platform, you gain a business partner committed to making management of your online business as seamless as possible.
Analyzing Your Business Needs
Now that you know the kind of plans that Shopify has to offer, the question remains: how do you choose the right Shopify plan for your business?
Well, that begins with analysing your business needs. Let’s take a look at how -
The Size and Scope of Your Business Matters
- Startups and Small Businesses: If you are a startup or a small business, you may need a plan that offers basic functionalities. The Shopify Starter or Basic plan is perfect for this, offering basic tools without the need for complex websites, that too at a minimum cost.
- Mid-sized Businesses: These businesses are usually the ones that are expanding their operations and are looking for more sophisticated interfaces and tools to manage sales. The Shopify Plan or Advanced plan that offers access to more advanced functionalities and detailed sales analytics is the perfect fit for such businesses.
- Large Enterprises: The Shopify Plus plan with its expansive customizations and dedicated support is the perfect plan for large businesses with diverse needs and high sales.
Customer Reach and Sales Channel
- Single Channel Strategy: The starter plan is perfect for any business looking to sell through a single sales channel such as social media or messaging apps.
- Omnichannel Route: However, if you are someone who aims to integrate multiple sales channels such as in-store, social media, messaging apps, etc., you may need more advanced plans such as the Basic plan and above.
Budget
Budget plays an important role in selecting the right Shopify plan for your business. So, based on what your initial budget constraints are, you could opt for the Starter or Basic plan, which helps you test the waters while establishing your brand. Or, if you are okay with allocating more budget towards your Shopify spending, you could invest in Shopify Advanced or Plus plans and see significant revenue growth.
Extra Costs to Keep in Mind!
Your Shopify plan’s per month pricing structure may not always include additional costs. Therefore, it is important to consider and add these costs to your overall budget while choosing the right Shopify plan for your business. You could also get professional advice from a Shopify website development agency like Amwhiz to help you calculate these costs and make the right decision.
- Payment Processing Charges: Shopify usually charges an extra transaction fee unless you use Shopify Payments for your transactions.
- App Integration Charges: The Shopify plan costs do not include additional app integration fees. These apps are usually paid and can add to your monthly costs.
- Shipping: As your business grows, the shipping costs increase.
- Additional Market Cost: This is only added in the Advanced plans, and amounts to roughly $59 /month.
Is It Possible to Change the Plans Later?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get as a Shopify website development services provider. Yes, it is absolutely possible to upgrade or downgrade your chosen Shopify plan. Shopify gives its users the flexibility to scale their chosen plans based on their business needs. So you can very easily switch to a higher plan with more features or cut costs and move to a lower plan, however you like.
Usually, the best way to go ahead with selecting a Shopify plan is to consult experienced professionals at a Shopify website development agency like Amwhiz, who would help you choose the right plan in one go.
Final Thoughts!
Selecting the right Shopify plan is essential for long term and sustained growth of any business. It not only helps you test the waters but also aids in setting a solid foundation for your online store. Therefore, reflect on your current needs, look at how you wish to see your growth trajectory, evaluate your budget and sales strategy, and settle on a plan that fits all of the above.
However, if you are still struggling with choosing what’s right for your business, you could get expert consultation from Amwhiz. With Amwhiz, you get tailored solutions, unmatched expertise, years of experience, and a proven track record of successful Shopify website deployments. When you combine all of this with the robust options that Shopify has to offer, you get a solid chance at steady ecommerce growth.